Many Will Be Offended
by David Steele
As well as famines, earthquakes and wars, Jesus said that one of the things that will mark the last days is that many will become offended. To be offended is to have had an offence committed against you (either actual or perceived) that you have not yet chosen to completely hand over to God and release all judgement to Him. We can recognise it by the way we feel when we think about that person who hurt us, or when we see them in the street.
Offence causes our love to grow cold and it eats away at the very life that God has placed within us. Scripture says that if you allow a bitter root to grow up inside you, it will not only cause trouble and defile us but it will also defile those around us (Hebrews 12:15).
Can I challenge each of us today to search our hearts and see if there is any offence present? Ask ourselves: Have I found myself moaning or complaining in my heart about my spouse, my boss, my pastor, one of my family members or one of my friends? Has the thought crossed my mind recently that my life would be much better if a certain person hadn’t done a certain thing?
If we’ve been hurt and our heart has been damaged, the key to restoring the life within us is forgiveness. The person who’s quick to forgive won’t find their love growing cold. Our broken hearts can be healed if we’re willing to obey the one who heals the broken-hearted.
Prayer: Father, thank You that You’ve extended Your unfathomable mercy to me. I’m sorry that I haven’t always been quick to extend that same mercy to others. I come before You humbly today, and choose to forgive from my heart everybody who’s ever hurt me. I ask that, as I walk in forgiveness, You’ll bring deep healing to my heart, and that You’d restore my life and my ability to love others, even my enemies. Thank You for coming to heal the broken-hearted, and for giving us the greatest example of forgiveness the world has ever seen. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
David Steele is a young man who is passionate about teaching the Word of God and declaring a gospel that is full of power to change people’s lives. After serving for 7 and a half years at Ellel Pierrepont, David, his wife Hannah and their two daughters moved to Hungary in 2016 and are working with Ellel 'Central and Eastern Europe Development' (CEED) where they are teaching, ministering and training ministry teams across that region.
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